This invention relates generally to article transport systems and more particularly concerns article-transporting conveyors and related systems for controlling the flow of articles along those conveyors.
Modern dairies and beverage bottling plants fill and cap large numbers of bottles at high speeds. These bottles are then transported by a conveyor system to cartonizing equipment, which places the filled and capped bottles in appropriate cartons. The filled cartons are then transported by another conveyor system to stackers which arrange the filled cartons in vertical array and organize the filled, stacked cartons for delivery to trucks or other transporters.
The bottling equipment, the cartonizing equipment, and the stacking equipment all have various maximum capacities at which the bottles or the filled cartons can be handled and processed. In modern bottling plant operations, it has been found helpful to arrange conveyors between a given bottler and tow or more cartonizers. In this way, should the capacity of a given cartonizer be overcome, the filled bottles can be directed to an alternate cartonizer without seriously interrupting the flow of product through the plant.
In a similar manner, it has been found helpful to arrange conveyors between a given cartonizer and two or more stackers. Again, should a stacker become overloaded, the flow of cartons can be directed to an alternate stacker to avoid interrupting plant operations.
While conveyor arrangements of this kind have been found helpful, their effective use has, until now, required careful personal attention to the flow of bottles or filled cartons through the plant, and quick manual action to start and stop appropriate conveyors whenever back-ups of bottles or filled cartons begin to occur.
Apparatus of the type disclosed and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,599,789 can sort cartons or the like, and can direct the sorted articles along branched conveyor lines. In many applications, this apparatus requires halting and collecting a number of articles on the stem conveyor before the apparatus directs the articles along a branch conveyor. If both U.S. Pat. No. 3,599,789 branch conveyors have been filled with articles, the apparatus is not designed to halt the flow of further articles to the branch conveyors. These operation features are not always desireable in solving the problems addressed by the present invention.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a conveyor system and related apparatus which will direct articles traveling along a stem conveyor to either of several branch conveyors, and which apparatus does not require sorting mechanisms and related features which are unnecessary for the use described above.
Another object is to provide a dividing conveyor and related apparatus which can halt the flow of articles to the branch conveyors when the branches are full.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a dividing conveyor and related apparatus of the type described which can be offered at relatively modest cost.
Yet another object is to provide such conveyors and related apparatus which will withstand rugged use and will provide reliable service over a long life.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings. Throughout the drawings, like reference numerals refer to like parts.